AIR TRANSPORT
Dash 8
beatsthe
freeze
SAULT STE MARIE
The first de Havilland Dash 8
introduced into revenue
passenger service by nor-
Ontair in temperatures of
-20°C has achieved a 100 per
cent dispatch reliability in the
first month of operations,
according to the airline's
director of air services, Don
Wallace.
Wallace tells Flight that
while small problems such as
leaking seals have been
experienced, the type's intro
duction into service in such
a cold climate has been ex
tremely good. Passenger reac
tion has been positive too, and
norOntair achieved record-
breaking load factors in the
first week of Dash 8 service.
NorOntair is utilising the
37-seat Dash 8 on scheduled
services from its Sault Ste
Marie base to Sudbury,
Timmins, and Kapuskasing in
Northern Ontario. Wallace
says that the airline's regular
passengers, used to flying on
its smaller and noisier Twin
Otters, have noted the
quietness of the Dash 8.
He says that the airline is
very happy with the aircraft.
"The Dash 8 cabin is of a simi
lar standard to that offered in
a jet, and cabin noise is
quieter than that in the F.27
or (old series) DC-9. You
forget you are flying in a
turboprop," he adds.
NorOntair carried 100,000
passengers in 1984, and
expects a 7 per cent increase
this year. Wallace points out,
however, that if present high
loads continue then this origi
nal forecast could be higher.
The airline's second Dash 8
is scheduled for delivery in
early April, allowing nor
Ontair to extend Dash 8
services to most of its 21
widely-separated commu
nities in Northern Ontario.
"I like to think of the Dash
8 as norOntair's Christmas
present to the people of
Northern Ontario," Wallace
says.
• The UK Civil Aviation
Authority type certification
for de Havilland's Dash 8 is
expected this spring.
British
Emerald
is optimistic
LONDON ~
The UK Civil Aviation
Authority is doubtful whether
new Ulster-based trans
atlantic charter airline British
Emerald Airways will begin
flying this May, as it now
plans.
The airline received an Air
Operator's Certificate in 1983,
plus CAA licences to fly low-
fare services between London
Gatwick, Belfast, Prestwick,
and New York. But, according
to the CAA, British Emerald's
licence expires in April this
year, and even if its licence
is extended, the probability
of a May start is somewhat
optimistic.
Director Richard Robinson-
Horley says that the airline is
confident of getting its licence
four weeks ahead of service
start. Already he says that
landing slots have been
organised at LGW and a
number of US tour operators
are ready to place block book
ings which will give the airline
six flights a week from
London to New York.
British Emerald is the
project of New York-based
tour operator Bill Best. Best
has invested $17 million to
acquire a DC-10-40, pre
viously owned by Northwest
Orient, and has placed an
option on another. The air
craft, Best claims, will be
British-registered and crewed.
The airline is planning to
allocate a block number of
seats to passengers originat
ing from Prestwick and
Belfast and then top up
passenger numbers at LGW
for direct flights to New
York's John F. Kennedy
Airport. Best expects that at
least 70 per cent of its traffic
would originate in the USA.
Most of the company's busi
ness, therefore, would be
transacted in strong US
dollars.
A peak-season return fare
of £288 from any of the three
UK terminals to New York is
planned.
Chairman of British Emer
ald is Bill Walker MP, Secre
tary of the UK Conservative
British Emerald plans to launch low-fare charter services between London Gatwick, Belfast, Prestwick, and New
York JFK this May, with a DC-10-40
Party's aviation committee.
Walker's principal interest in
British Emerald is to direct
American tourists into Scot
land and Northern Ireland
with-out putting them to the
trouble and expense of travel
ling from one of London's
Airports.
BA fills
more seats
LONDON ~~
British Airways carried 18-2
million passengers on its
scheduled and charter flights
in 1984, 2 • 1 million more than
in the previous year. The
biggest increase was recorded
on BA's domestic services in
the UK.
Travellers using BA's UK
regional services in 1984
increased by 19 per cent, half
of them flying the carrier's
Super Shuttle. At year end
Shuttle loads registered a 15
per cent increase in the
number of passengers carried,
BA claims.
British Airways flew
154,000 more passengers
across the Atlantic in 1984.
On its flights to and from
Northern Europe BA carried
an extra 500,000 passengers
and 160,000 more were flown
to and from Southern Europe
compared with 1983 figures.
BA reported a good year for
freight. A total of 207,000
tonnes of cargo were flown
during the year, up by 23 per
cent over 1983.
$ British Caledonian plans to
announce its 1984 passenger
boardings at its annual
general meeting on February
18. Figures are expected to be
up, with a significant increase
in passengers carried across
the Atlantic.
ER Twin talks
LONDON ~
The long-range operation of
twin-engined public transport
aircraft is to be the subject of >
a Royal Institute of Naviga
tion meeting on February 20
at 1430 at the Royal Aero
nautical Society in London.
Speakers will be L. Bram-
hall and V. Attwooll of the
UK Civil Aviation Authority,-
and G. Beresford of Britannia
Airways. Enquiries to the
RIN, telephone (01) 589 5021.
FLIGHT International, 19 January 1985